After invention of aeroplane, its bodies as well as internal designs were changed to improve its efficiency and performance. Though the latest jets are updated, we find a lot of gap in improving its capability to reach higher goals. NASA and other organization aim to develop a domestic flight to space, researchers and engineers work on the various aspects to meet this goal. However, a simple design we observe for reducing the length of the aircraft wings was achieved by addition of a small weir (winglets) at the edge of the wings. It even avoids the turbulence caused by the sharp tip the act opposite to the lift. Old and new design of the domestic plane wings shown below.
|Aircraft with winglets|
|Ordinary wing tip|
Engineering personals from aeronautical and mechanical background test the models with computational fluid dynamics to develop the designs and study the vortex formation during the flight. It looks simple extension but it was break through. Younger engineers are still working on this area to reduce the distance required for takeoff.
Advantages of winglets:
- It helps to reduce fuel consumption.
- It breaks the vortices formed at the tip of the wings so the opposite drag will be reduced.